Beginnings
by bluespace
Summary: SPOILERS. so if you dont want none, dont read. its after the finale, what happens now. Chapter 4 up!!
1. A start

John looked out his window at the ringed planet below. It wasn't much to look at but with his fuel so low it would have to do. He banked in to the atmosphere and came in to a rough landing on the outskirts of a large city.  
  
For a while he just sat in his module. This is where he would live if he couldn't get any fuel. For the rest of his life this chunk of rock would be what he called home, what a daunting prospect. John had never felt so isolated and alone in his entire life. He wanted nothing more then to go in search of his friends, and the ship he had come to view as home. But with out the means it really was an unrealistic goal.  
  
This planets sky was an interesting light purple color and the blue rings were visible from the surface, streaking across the sky. It was far to alien for him ever to be happy here.  
  
With a heavy hand he hit the canopy controls and climbed out on to the wing. From there he surveyed the nearby city. It was large, its silver buildings scraping the sky. It could have been worse, he supposed, they could be brown. He sighed as he reached in and grabbed the travel bag he had taken to packing before each flight. Inside he had a few essentials and the majority of his currency.  
  
He was a wealthy man, but without the means to store the fuel he would need for a long journey, it did him no good.  
  
He jumped down from the wing; the ground was soft like a freshly tilled field. For all he knew that's just what it was. He had a good mile hike before he reached the true cities edge.  
  
Here there were beings everywhere. They milled about like one breathing unit. Crowds packed some streets to the point it looked like New Orleans during Madi Gra. It was not a sensation he enjoyed.  
  
Up ahead through the masses and the smells and the shouts, he saw an advertisement for refreshments and made his way to it. Inside the huge `bar' there were just as many people jostling for an empty table anywhere. John instead made his way carefully to the bar.  
  
The bartender, if you could call it that, looked not unlike a sea urchin. John had no idea where it was talking from when it rudely asked him what he wanted. Oh a whim he ordered fellip nectar. At this point he just needed something familiar to cling to.  
  
After the fifth person bumped in to him or rubbed against him, John decided to take his drink elsewhere. This place was not conducive to thought. He looked around for someone he could ask about finding a place to stay.  
  
Many of the alien species he had not seem before, but it was like that on all the commerce planets. He saw a Delvian by the back of the bar, but he seemed intent on the creature sitting next to him. He saw Scarren in the back by himself, and that's probably where he should remain. Other then that there was really no one.  
  
John got up to leave when someone knocked the nectar out of his hand. He looked up in to the eyes of a Luxan. He had tattoos very similar to D'argo's even. John was instantly homesick.  
  
"Watch it Peacekeeper." The Luxan said in way of apology.  
  
Before he turned to leave, John figured this might be the last familiar face he saw, so taking his life in his hands he tapped the giant on the shoulder.  
  
"Excuse me General, but do you know of a place where I could rent a room." The Luxan turned and looked John right in the eyes. John figured this was not the time to be macho, so he lowered his eyes humbly. "I thought of anyone here you would be the most knowledgeable." Good John suck up, he told himself.  
  
The Luxan grunted once.  
  
John prepared for a blow to the head, instead the giant proceeded to give him very precise directions to a place called Gal Moran's boarding. Without waiting for acknowledgment, when the directions were conveyed the Luxan simple disappeared into the crowd.  
  
"It would appear you have learned things in your travels." John heard a familiar voice behind him state.  
  
"Go away Harvey." He said simply under his breath as he exited on to the busy street again.  
  
With little trouble John stumbled on to the right place quickly purchased a room for the weeken and fell on to the bed of his temporary home. With in minute he was in a restless sleep.  
  
John woke the next morning to the sounds of a busy city. This was not as conducive to sleep as the gentle humming of Moya. This time of day was going to be the hardest, he could already tell.  
  
Not wanting to spend anymore time alone then he had to, he set out as quickly as possible to see about getting his needs taken care of. He needed food and fuel, or maybe a transport. He had to see what he could find.  
  
He found shopping alone wasn't nearly as fun, and it only took him two hours to find that. With a sigh he entered what had to be the twentieth shop he had been to that morning. It was a place called Hoganian's Spares. He figured they might just have something he needed; he was past the point of being particular. He had discovered, that though pretty, the city had little of practicality to offer.  
  
The shop inside was strewn with bits and pieces of this and that, none of it bigger then John's hand. It seemed to be and odds and ends shop.  
  
There were very few people inside too, which seemed odd compared to the crowds that gathered elsewhere through out the city. It was a nice break from the earsplitting jostle of the outside street. John decided to stay in for a while even if there was nothing of interest to buy.  
  
Making his way to the front counter, he thought to talk to the proprietor, find out if there was a place to buy fuel on this rock.  
  
"Maybe that's why there are so many people here, no one can leave." John tried to ignore his leather-clad companion but the thought sent chills up his spine.  
  
"Lets hope not." He said under his breath.  
  
At the front of the store he saw a desk, much like a checkout counter back home. There was even a little bell with a hole drilled through the metal surface beside it.  
  
He was about to ring the bell when the front doors to the store burst open and three angry aliens, the likes of which he had not seen before, stormed in.  
  
The leader of the three, one slightly larger then the other two with a bright orange frill down his back, made his way swiftly to John.  
  
"Do you own this piece of dren shop?" it asked. John felt bad for who ever answered them affirmatively.  
  
"Nope, just browsing." He said calmly. "Have yet to see the owner." John noticed behind the three that the rest of the would be customers were fleeing the scene. That was never a good sign.  
  
"Get out of our way." The shortest one growled. Even he was taller then John with a dull gray frill not quite as large as the orange one's.  
  
"Gladly." He muttered about to make his way to the back of the store.  
  
"Don't leave." John stopped. It had been whispered from inside the metal desk. "Please don't leave me." The whisper came again. This time it almost sounded like it was coming from inside his own head.  
  
"We're not alone in here anymore." Harvey said as he came into view leaning on the desk.  
  
John took a deep breath. Great just what he needed, another invitation to die. He sighed out, at this point, really what did he have to lose?  
  
"May I ask what business you gentlemen have here?"  
  
Ok that got a reaction. If it wasn't so deadly a situation he would have laughed at how cliché their synchronous growls were. All they needed were head ridges and he'd be calling them Klang.  
  
"It is no business of yours Peacekeeper." The short one spoke again.  
  
"See I hate it when people say that, I mean really, how do you know what my business is, do you know me?"  
  
"Good one John, always better to die with a threat on your lips." Harvey sneered on the sidelines.  
  
The three each went for their weapons. On instinct born of being hunted for the past four cycles, John had his out first. With quick precise shots he had disarmed them all, separating the short one from his fingers as well.  
  
"You will not live to see this night!" the leader screamed as he and his lackeys backed toward the door.  
  
"Your blood is mine!" chimed in the short one, cradling his damaged hand.  
  
"Heard that one before, get in line." John said to the closing door as he re-holstered Winonna.  
  
He cleared his throat then loudly. "Ok who is back there?" he asked.  
  
To his surprise the person didn't crawl out from behind the desk, but instead crawled out of the hole next to the bell. The little blue, furry thing couldn't have been taller then five inches at full height. It had a stub nose almost like a pug dog and large eyes that took up the majority of its face. Its hands were tiny and clawed, though the claws were small and in proportion, like fingernails. Its ears were pointed and at the side of is head not on top.  
  
"You saved my life." It said, again in that whisper like voice.  
  
"Don't mention it." John was still taking it in. it had to be the smallest sentient being he had ever seen.  
  
It cocked its head at him. "Why are their two of you?"  
  
John didn't know what to make of that question.  
  
"Sorry, don't follow you there."  
  
"You are not the only one in your mind. Why is someone else in there." Ok that was just creepy, he thought.  
  
"How do you know that?" He asked, not realizing he had backed up.  
  
The creature held up its tiny hand as thought to keep him there. "Wait, I'm sorry. You don't know what I am. I'm sorry."  
  
"So what are you?" John had stopped retreating, but he still wasn't ready to approach again.  
  
"I'm a Klink, we know minds. And you are John Crichton. You saved my life."  
  
"Woe, woe, what do you mean you know minds, like your telepathic?" this was not something he needed.  
  
"But you do need me. I can help you. My life is yours now, don't you see John."  
  
"All I see is that you're creeping me out." John said. But he still didn't leave.  
  
"Please, take me with you, if they come back they will kill me." It bagged him with the sweetest sincerity.  
  
"Why do they want to kill you?"  
  
It smiled. "I creeped them out."  
  
John couldn't help but smile back. "So you got a name?" he asked against his better judgment and Harvey who was vehemently shaking his head.  
  
"Rigs" it answered as it extended its hand for a handshake.  
  
John just looked at it.  
  
"Fine if you don't want to shake my hand you don't have to." John came out of his stooper and walked forward gently taking the tiny digits into his own and barely moving it up and down. "John." He said in way of introduction out of habit.  
  
"I know." Rigs answered with a smile.  
  
"So you need a life out of here huh?"  
  
"Please." It paused looking at him intently. "I know a place to buy fuel." It said.  
  
John didn't need to think long; he hated wading blindly through these crowds.  
  
"You got yourself a deal." Before the words were out of his mouth Rigs was climbing up his hand and on to his shoulder. When it noticed his trepidation it merely said "better view up here, for navigational purposes."  
  
John chucked and shook his head.  
  
"Well they say it takes all kinds."  
  
"Indeed it does." Rigs said, patting John on the head. "Now turn left out the door."  
  
John smiled to himself as he followed Rigs directions; at least he wasn't alone anymore.  
  
"Nope now you got me."  
  
"Ok stop doing that it's wigging me out here."  
  
He heard the tiny peals of laughter near his ear. 


	2. A friend

A/N: I just realized that I completely forgot a disclaimer and to say hey to everyone out there reading in the first chapter of this so ...don't own nothing, and....hey everyone. Oh and on my enterprise fic, trickery, must say a big huge THANK YOU to my beta reader  
  
Hist_Astrea!! She'll be getting this one soon to, I have no doubt. So read on my friends.  
  
"Turn right at the end of the street there." Rigs said in to his ear again. Only it was sounding less and less like external noise and more and more like the way Harvey sounded when he talked.  
"That's cause I'm not really talking John." Rigs said.  
"What do you mean your not really talking?" John asked. He had stopped walking now.  
"Well, I'm a Klink. When we find a partner, not that kind of partner, but like you, some one we give our lives to, we link with their mind. I have aligned my neural patterns with yours. This way I can understand what you say and vise versa. Otherwise our language is so simplistic that even with microbes most cant understand us."  
"But those goons back there, they had to have understood you."  
"We can form temporary links for simplistic conversations. they aren't really an alignment, just a tapping in to really. So they could understand the thoughts I was trying to convey."  
"So what, we're linked for life now? I thought you just wanted a lift?"  
"I told you not to help him John." Harvey said in his head.  
"I told you my life was yours. If you want to drop me off, I'll understand, as my partner, its your decision to make really. But that wouldn't sever our link. I would still be partnered to you."  
"So I would have one more faceless voice in my head no one else could see. wonderful." John was rubbing his face now.  
"Or you could keep me with you. I can prove very useful. many find my race rare and valuable because of our abilities."  
John sighed with his hand over his eyes.  
"You really have little choice in the matter now John." Harvey said. John looked up to see him leaning against a nearby wall.  
"He always has a choice." Rigs answered.  
"Great, this is just great. Ok heres the deal. You will only speak when spoken too if we're out of visuals, or if you think you can help save my life. I have one disembodied voice in my head and that's already to many. For now you are with me, that could change. Just, I just cant make that kind of decision right now." He nodded his head purposefully once to show that his decision was made and final.  
"Now which way?"  
"Right at the end of this block." Rigs answered. He was now completely contented with his position. As a Klink he would have abided by any decision his Partner made, John had saved his life after all. But he was very glad that John had picked a solution the suited him.  
  
The sign over the establishment read, Dafydd's Fuel Up and Get Out.  
  
"Friendly." Crichton said as he stood outside.  
  
"Its really not as bad as it sound, and it's the only place for fuel this side of City Center." Rigs said in his head.  
  
"Once again you have left yourself with out a choice John, marvelous work."  
  
"Oh shut up Harvey." John sighed, he had been doing that a lot lately. John turned and looked toward City Center. It was a good three miles to City Center, and he had walked enough today.  
  
"The prices are good." Rigs said, trying to be helpful.  
  
"Alright, lets see what they got." John said rubbing his hand through his hair once before straightening his shoulders and entering through the revolving door.  
  
Inside his nose was assaulted with a hundred smells at the same time his ears were attached by fifty voices speaking at once and his eyes were blinded by smoke. He coughed and rubbed his eyes trying to clear his vision and regain the ability to breath. Neither goal was proving easy to achieve.  
  
"You get used to it after awhile." Rigs said. John opened his eyes to find the little guy hanging from the front of his shirt and looking him right in the eye. It took all his self-control not to jump backwards at the proximity.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
K, I'll write more soon, promise... 


	3. A secret

John took some deep breaths to reorient himself with his surroundings. As his eyes cleared of the smoke and his ears adjusted to the sound level he began to get a better idea of the kind of place he was in. Rigs moved back up to his shoulder and waited for Johns response.  
  
"Exactly what do they sell here?" John asked, more irritated then puzzled it seemed.  
  
Rigs of course had been expecting the question; you didn't have to be a telepath to guess it.  
  
The stood in a large room, actually large didn't describe it. It was huge. The ceiling was a good sixty feet high, and it was hard to distinguish the back wall. Inside people milled about, not as many as where in the streets, but enough to make a fair clatter. They were all pointing at, leading around or discussing, large rust colored beast.  
  
The beasts were in open toped cages spread through out the structure. They were feathered with long sweeping wings and a bold neck and head that had blue skin. They didn't have beaks but instead powerful jaws and teeth. They saw out of large white eyes that John found almost eerie.  
  
"Its a Garganth farm." Rigs answered his question.  
  
"And we're here because?" John asked.  
  
"Because Garganth's are the best kept secret in all of the UT. With just one Garganth all your fueling needs would be over."  
  
"How's that?" John asked. He was trying desperately to be interested.  
  
"Because, given the right diet, one days worth of Garganth waist would fuel a large transport pod, or a medium shuttle for two menons."  
  
Crichton looked back at the creatures from a different perspective. With one of these he could really search for his friends, he wouldn't need to worry about being stranded in the middle of nowhere with no fuel, he could focus on his goal.  
  
"They are expensive." Rigs interjected, he hoped he hadn't burst a bubble (which was another new phrase he was starting to learn. Johns mind was filled with wonders.).  
  
"How expensive?" Harvey asked on Johns behalf as the human merely stared at the cages before them.  
  
"Well I'm sure they are well within John's range, but he would have to settle for a transport pod instead of a large shuttle."  
  
John didn't seem to be paying much attention to them at all. The more he looked at the Garganths, the more beautiful they became. Their rust colored feathers were in perfect contrast to the blue of their heads and feet. Their eyes had really a more opal-like appearance the more you looked at them. They reminded him of griffins a bit, more so when he saw the skin tails, and they were the answer to his needs.  
  
"So how do I get one?" He asked.  
  
Silence greeted him for a moment from his two cohorts. They had been in the middle of a heated argument, which John had taken no note of. Now they stared at him confused as to what he was referring to.  
  
"You want a knuckle sandwich?" Rigs asked looking for clarification.  
  
"What, no." John shook his head, things were never easy. "How do I acquire a Garganth of my very own?" He annunciated every word as if talking to a small child.  
  
"Oh that." Rigs slapped himself in the head. "I should have known, sorry. You simply pick the one you want and meet the breeder's price. Then of course you have to buy its food, but the maintainer will know what to get for proper results."  
  
"Maintainer?" Harvey asked. He still had his arms crossed and was looking at Rigs like he would like nothing more then to squish him like a bug.  
  
"Yes, each Garganth comes with a maintainer, someone to care for it. It's at no extra cost, and they usually survive on what the Garganth doesn't eat, like a natural garbage disposal."  
  
"Charming." John said. He began to search the crowd for a breeder. It was really hard to tell who was buying and who was selling, there were simply to many people.  
  
"Oh, no John. First you much choose which creature you want." Rigs said as he noticed his search.  
  
"Well how do I know unless I ask some questions?" John retorted.  
  
"You can ask me. I know enough to get us a good specimen. Lets have a look at them." Rigs sat down and made himself comfortable on Johns' shoulder.  
  
"That one there," Rigs said, pointing to the fifth cage down the line. "That one looks fine."  
  
John approached it cautiously. It wasn't as large as the first two, but then that was a good thing. If it were too large it would do no good because he wouldn't have enough to buy a shuttle big enough to hold it. This one was about the size of a killer whale, if killer whales had wings and where covered in feathers of course.  
  
Around its feet a small woman ran about gathering this and putting that in place and ruffling the creatures feathers. She herself was unique looking, at least to John she was. She had long cream hair and her skin was a light pink in color. Her eyes were a lovely shade of purple and she had long pointed ears and a tail.  
  
"That must be the maintainer." Rigs said, pointing to the woman. "Get her attention and ask what the creature eats."  
  
John sighed before he raised his arm to flag her down. "Excuse me, miss." He said loudly.  
  
She immediately turned her attention to him. It most have been the large ears. "Yes." she answered, completely polite and professional.  
  
"I was wondering, what does this big guy eat?"  
  
She nodded, excepting his question. "Gren eats Pontus weed and drinks carbonated water for highest potency." She had obviously answered this question before.  
  
"Of course she has its her job." Harvey said from behind, actually from inside, but it sounded like behind.  
  
"That's very good." Rigs commented delightedly. "Pontus weed is extremely available and very inexpensive."  
  
"He may not be the largest," The girl was saying in Gren's behalf, "but he's malleable and has potential as a great racer. Also he is docile and travels well." She was nothing if not a salesman.  
  
"His size seems about right to me."  
  
"She means he isn't regulation size for the ceremonies. A small local custom, its their main reason for being." Rigs explained.  
  
"But has no relevance to us." Harvey interjected.  
  
"You gain insight from your Klink, wise of you. I have never met anyone who had gained the confidence of one before." The girl said quietly so as not to disturb Johns thoughts. 


	4. An aquisition

A/N: sort of just starting this chapter where the last one left off.  
  
"Yeah well I Klink aint all its cracked up to be." He said under his breath. Rigs didn't seem to take offence, though; he just shook his tiny blue head as if humoring a small child.  
  
"This would be a wise purchase John." Harvey reluctantly agreed with the small creature still perched happily on Johns shoulder. There was nothing he was going to hate more then agreeing with that thing, he could tell already.  
  
"Do you know where the breeder is, I'd like to talk price." John asked the young Maintainer. She nodded and merely pointed to a large blob of a creature at a booth in a far corner. "Thanks."  
  
"Ewe, a rellerite, not the most pleasant species in the UT." Harvey commented as they made their way through the crowd to the breeder's table.  
  
"Yeah but he's got what we need, so right now he could be a living slug for all I care." And to John's eyes that's exactly what he looked like the closer that they got.  
  
He didn't improve upon knowing him either, he's personality was as slug- like as his appearance, but he was a salesman through and through. After no small amount of haggling, and some pushing and shoving from other potential buyers, John finally bought the Garganth that went by the name Gren. It took even longer for him to get Wefrenrelener, the breeder, to agree to hold the beast until John came back with a proper shuttle pod.  
  
Rigs gripped Johns ear to keep from being knocked from his perch as John made his way back out of the crowded breeder section. John was sure he defiantly now had more bruises then he had gone in there with. He dusted himself off and walked back to the feathered, bleating creature he now owned. Yeah he'd been right, it was bleating, making a sound not unlike that of a sheep. This was gunna be great.  
  
He waved his arms a bit to regain the maintainers' attention.  
  
"Yes?" she asked as she came around from the back of Gren.  
  
"Hi, listen I just purchased Gren here, is there anything else I need to know to purchase while I'm getting his food and stuff?" he may as well know now if the creature had any special needs.  
  
"No Master, most of his things are already provided, he only needs food and a place to live." She said with a slight bow.  
  
John wasn't sure he liked this Master business. "What's your name?" he asked her. He figured he had a right to know seeing as how they would be together at least until he found Moya.  
  
"Enar." She said it with a long e and a short a sound.  
  
"Ok, Enar I need to go get a shuttle. Just stay here and I'll come back and pick you guys up."  
  
She bowed in response to this as well.  
  
Great, just great, he just hated the slave mentality. This is a situation Rigel would really enjoy; lording over others was what he did best. John had, until resent history, been more on the serving end of things. This leaders stuff, really not what it was cracked up to be.  
  
"Your doing fine." Rigs assured him. John was sure he heard Harvey snort at that though. It was a tough crowd. 


End file.
